Fortification-shield.



G. G. ISON.

FORTIFICATION SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29. 1916.

Patented May 15, 1917.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ornion.

GEORGE GOAL IS ON, OFMANGUM, OKLAHOMA.

-FORTIF1CATION-SHIELD.

The general object of my invention is the provision of a shield very simply constructed and supported at an inclination and yieldingly supported so that when a projectile strikes the shield or breastwork, a portion of theforce or. power of the projectile will be taken up in forcing the shield or breastwork downward.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shieldof the character described so mounted that the impact of a projectile will cause the shield to move downward from an upwardly inclined positionagainst the action of a yielding supporting means and in this connection to provide a dash pot.

or air cushion, which will resist thedownward movement of the shield.

Still another object in this connection is to provide means for regulating the rapid ity with which the shield will move downward under the impact of a projectile and return to its initial position.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my improved shield and its operating mechanism; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the packing gland and the means .for adjusting the spring.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the shield 10 showing a" gun projecting through the Y shield and the auxiliary shield protecting the opening for the gun.

Referring to these figures 10 designates the shield which may be of any desired length and which is preferably made of armor plate, as for instance iron or steel reinforced and case hardened upon its face. This shi l 10 at its forwardend is hing- Specification of Letters Patent.

the tension of this Patented May 15, 1917.

Application fiIed J'uIy 29, 1916. Serial No. 112,061.

edly connected to anchoring members 11 which are adapted to be embedded in the .ground or in the concrete walls of a trench or other fortification, the shield extending .upwardlyand rearwardly atian inclination and at its rear end being slightly downwardly deflected.

' For the purpose of supporting the shield inits normal position and at an inclination to the horizontal, I provide oneor aplurality of plunger rods 12, each carrying at its lower end a piston or plunger 13 operating within a casing14. This plunger rod 12 also preferably descends against the actionof a coil compression spring 15 which as illustrated, is disposed between the upper end of the plunger and .the top casing. Means are provided for increasing or decreasing spring as will be later described.

Disposed'in connection with the casing 14 is a casing 16 having approximately th same cubical content and connected to the.

casing 14 by means of a passage 17. At the upper end of the casing 16 there is provided a discharge opening 20 also controlled plunger head or piston 13 is supported by the spring 15 a certain distance above the level of the oil or liquid in the casing 14. The tension of the spring. 15 may be regulated in any suitable manner but I have shown the casing 14 at its upper end as being provided with a packing gland 24 through which the piston rod passes and have shown the lower end ofthe spring 15 as resting upon a sleeve 25, which sleeve embraces the portion 24 and is vertically adjustable thereon and is held in such vertically adjusted positions by means of set screws 26 or any other suitablemeans to this end. It is obvious now, that by adjusting the sleeve 25 the tension of the spring may be controlled. The shield 10 may readily be madein sections and is in tended tobe permanently disposed in connection with the walls of a fort or the walls of a trench or any otherproper position with relation to fortificat n the number of shields used and the number of plungers supporting any one shield being a matter of judgment and depending upon the weight of the shield and the probable force of impact of the projectiles discharged thereagainst.

The operation of my improved shield will be obvious. \Vhen a projectile impinges against the shield, the shield will be depressed. The plunger on its downward movement will force the oilor other liquid 28 from the cylinder 14: into the cylinder 16 and will force out air above the oil into the cylinder 16 with a rapidity depending upon the degree to which the valve 21 is opened. The recoil of the plunger and the return of the shield to its initial position will depend upon the extent to which the valve 19 is opened. Furthermore, either the downward movement of the shield or its return may be further controlled by means of the valve 22 which regulates the passage of liquid through the connection 17. In case heavy projectiles with considerable force are discharged against the shield 10, the movement of the shield would depend on the setting of the valves 19, 21 and 22. If

' these valves were wide open, the impact of a projectile would move the shield down a short distance at a very fast rate of speed and then the shield would return to its nor mal position at a speed depending upon the rapidity with which the valve 22 would let the oil flow upon the cylinder 16 into the cylinder 14: and upon the rapidity with which the valve 19 would permit the air to pass from the upper portion of the casing 14. In case all the valves were closed it is obvious that the piston 13 would be almost immovable and it is equally obvious that adjustments between this nearly immovable shield and the readily movable shield can be easily made.

It is obvious that projectiles will be deflected upward on contact with the shield and that their velocity will be very greatly reduced by striking the shield. Furthermore, it will be seen that the shield constitutes a very effective protection for trenches. A shield might be placed in a concrete pit and brought so close in contact with the ends of the pit as to make almost an air-tight joint, which would furnish, to a large degree, protection from poisonous gases.

It is obvious, of course, that where guns project through the shield, it will be necessary to provide a shield section which is movable with the gun and relative to the main shield, but which will be normally held in sliding engagement with the main shield. In order to show that it is possible to use guns in connection with the shield 10, I have illustrated in Fig. 3 a shieldlO having an opening 27 through which a gun A projects.

This opening may be relatively large so that the gun may be swung within a certain range and elevated or depressed to a certain degree, and in order to prevent shells or projectiles from passing through the opening 27,-I mount upon the face of the shield 10 the auxiliary shield 18 which is adapted to have sliding engagement with the main shield and which is also pierced for the muzzle of the gun A. This auxiliary shield 28 is held to the gun A by springs 29, or other suitable means so that when the muzzle of the gun is raised or depressed, the laterally shiftable or auxiliary shield will travel with it. lVhen the main shield is depressed under the impact of a projectile, the auxiliary shield will follow the main shield through the ,action of the spring 29.

The main shield 10 may be of any suitable length, but I have calculated that'with a length of twelve feet for each section of the main shield, there will be two pistons 13 and cylinders 14- and allied parts. It will, of course, be understood that the distance between the head 25 and the shield 10 is sufficient to permit of a considerable depression of the shield 10 and the use of a spring 15 having suflicient coils to elastically support the shield against impact of a projectile.

While I have illustrated the cylinder or casing 14 as being disposed in a vertical position, it is obvious that it may be disposed at rightangles to the normal position of the plate or shield 10.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is: I

1. A movable projectile shield and means resisting the movement of the shield including a pair of connected fluid containing chambers, a plunger disposed in one of the chambers and operatively connected to the shield, and means for resisting the movement of fluid from one chamber to the other. 2. A movable projectilev shield and means for adj ustably resisting the movement of the shield including a pair of connected fluid containing chambers, a plunger disposed in one of the chambers and operatively con-' nected to the shield, and means for resisting the movement of fluid from one chamber to the other.

3. A movable projectile shield and means for resisting the movement of the shield comprising a pair of connected fluid containing chambers, a plunger disposed in one of the chambers and operatively engaged with the shield,tmeans for controlling the outlet of fluid from the other'chamber, and means for adjustably controlling the passage of fluid between the chambers.

4. A fortification shield pivotally supported at its forward edge and normally extending upward and rearward, casings disposed beneath the shield and connected by a duct, a plunger operatively connected to the shield, fluid disposed within the casings, and

means for controlling the passage of fluid from one easing into the other.

(3. A fortification shield pivotally supported at its forward edge and normally extending upward and rearward, a piston rod operatively engaged with the shield and depending therefrom, a easing into which the piston rod passes, a piston insaid casing, a valve in the casing above the'piston and controlling the outlet or inlet of air to the upper portion of the casing, a second casing having a passage connecting its lower end with the lower end of the firstn'amed casing,

. said second casing having an upward extension formed with an opening, a valve controlling the passage of air through said opening, liquid disposed in said casings and the passage connecting them, the level of the liquid being normally below the normal position of the piston, and a spring normally supporting the piston above thelevelof said liqpid.

r. A fortification shield pivotally supported at its forward edge and normally extending upward and rearward, a piston rod operatively engaged with the shield and depending therefrom, a casing into which the piston rod passes, a piston in said casing, a

valve in the casing above the piston and controlling the outlet or inlet of air to the upper portion of the casing, a' second casing having a passage connecting its lower end with the lowerend of the first named casing,

said second casing having an upward extension formed with an opening, a valve con trolling the passage of air through said opening, liquid disposed in said casing and the passage connecting them, the level of the liquid being normally below the normal position of the piston, a spring normally supporting the piston above the level of said liquid, and means for adjusting the tension of the spring.

8. A fortification shield pivotally supported at its forward end and extending upward and rearward, a piston operatively connected to the shield, yielding means for holding the piston and shield in a relatively raised position, and fluid means yieldingly resisting the depression of the shield and piston. 9. A fortification shield pivotally supported at its forward end and extending upward and rearward, a piston operatively connected to the shield, yielding means for holding the piston and shield in a relatively raised position, fluid means yieldingly resisting the depression of the shield and piston, and means for controlling the degree of resistance offered by said fluid means.

10. A fortification shield pivotally supported at its forward end and extending upward and rearward, yielding means a for holding the shield in a relatively raised position, a gun having its muzzle projecting through the shield, the shield being formed with a relatively large opening for the muzzle, and an auxiliary shield carried upon the muzzle of the gun having sliding engagement with the face of the main shield, and means elastically urging theauxiliary shield against the face of the main shield.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses,

GEORGE GOAL ISON.

Witnesses:

GAIL Gnanons, W. T. CARLTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

